Monday, June 10, 2013

Double Your Win Rate with Core Pitch Teams

Attorneys that pitch together win together.

Unfortunately, this simple fact is too often missed in law
firms. Instead pitch teams are formed ad hoc depending upon the client, work
load, relationship history, other work being done and a host of other, often
more subtle considerations. However, the traditional way in which teams are
formed in law firms for client presentations is highly ineffective. Team
members often have no defined role and important aspects of the firm’s capabilities
and resources are left under-represented on the team. Sometimes, team members barely
have time to get to know one another before they are thrust into a client
presentation in which they have to show camaraderie, team work and work style
familiarity. No one is being fooled.

A better way is to designate small group pitch teams who
consistently pitch and present to clients together. These are core pitch teams
representing two or three essential skill sets that need to be present in every
pitch group. Additional team members vary and change depending upon the client,
the practices being pitched and other circumstances. But the core group should
remain together over time.

Presentation teams should have specific ‘players’ or roles
in each group. First, there needs to be a leader of the group whose
responsibility it is to facilitate the discussion with the client. This person
should not have any responsibility to present legal capabilities. Instead, they
monitor the discussion, keep track of time, ensure questions are answered,
interject with client intelligence, re-direct answers, conduct the housekeeping
of the meeting and generally guide the presentation of the firm’s capabilities.
This person is also the lead sales person who manages the conversation toward
the identification and meeting of client needs.

The second role is the person schooled in the non-legal
capabilities of the firm. This is the person who has a grasp on the technology,
diversity stats, pro bono work, value added services, client mix, alternative
fee arrangements, etc. in the firm. Typically this is the marketing person or
someone who consistently works with the various RFPs or presentations and has
knowledge of the various resources, offers and non-legal capabilities in the
firm. These two individuals should be observing the flow and development of the
conversation, taking notes and using the experience to train others and improve
results. Every presentation should have a post review.

The third role is the subject matter expert. There may be
several of these depending upon the number of practice areas under
consideration. These attorneys come prepared with the cases, clients, clout and
capabilities of their practice group, just as they would normally.

The Benefits of Core Pitch Teams

The benefits of consistent core pitch team roles are
numerous but primarily revolve around the consistency in observation of the
process and the knowledge gained from frequent attendance at client
presentations. Core pitch teams ensure the full capabilities of the firm, both
legal and non-legal, are represented and that answers to questions regarding
legal capabilities are augmented by the technology, value added, alternative
fee arrangements and other experience in the firm, whether it is from within or
outside the presented practices.

Core pitch teams can double the success rate of
presentations simply by improving over time the quality and consistency of the
presentations. Without these teams, the frequency of actual pitch experience is
simply too low among most attorneys for them to gain the deep learning
necessary to effectively manage presentations. In other industries
(advertising, marketing firms, sophisticated sales services, etc.) stable core
teams are the norm. Law firms would be well advised to adopt this practice and
get serious about winning RFPs. If I can help you develop pitch team excellence, give Eric Dewey a call at 502.693.4731. You'll find that I am an eager resource and that it costs nothing to talk.